The 'Nail Tech' rapper is set to make his acting debut in the remake of the 1992 sports comedy film directed by Ron Shelton and starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.
- Mar 4, 2022
AceShowbiz - Jack Harlow has landed his first feature film role in 20th Century's reboot of "White Men Can't Jump". The rapper is set to make his acting debut in the upcoming movie after his first-ever screen audition.
According to Deadline which first broke the news, Harlow nabbed the role after winning over the filmmakers and execs, particularly Kenya Barris who co-wrote the script with Doug Hall. The 23-year-old will play one of the leads, Billy Hoyle, who was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original movie.
The filmmakers are now still looking for the second male lead to step into the role of Sidney "Syd" Deane, who was originally played by Wesley Snipes. Calmatic, who helmed the upcoming "House Party" remake, is set to direct the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot.
The 1992 "White Men Can't Jump" was directed by Ron Shelton and follows two street basketball hustlers, who at first try to hustle each other before later teaming up for a bigger score. Rosie Perez also starred in the film, which helped launch Harrelson's movie career and made Snipes an even bigger star.
Barris is producing under his Khalabo Ink Society banner. Blake Griffin, Ryan Kalil and Noah Weinstein are executive producing through their Mortal Media banner, with Hall and E. Brian Dobbins also on board as executive producers. No release date is set just yet for the movie, but the project is reportedly put on a fast track.
While acting is something new for Harlow, he has proven his dunk skills. He played basketball in the NBA All-Star Weekend's Celebrity Game towards the end of February, during which he scored a 4-point throw.
Nevertheless, the casting news has sparked criticism from fans of the original movie, with one simply asking, "Why." Another took to Twitter to criticize the rapper's casting in the role, "Don't disrespect the great woody Harrelson."
"No one worse than this weirdo," a third slammed the "Whats Poppin" hitmaker. A fourth echoed the sentiment, "My top 5 movies but nobody wants to see Jack Harlow." Also questioning the casting choice, someone asked, "Who the f**k is that guy???" Someone else remarked, "Wtf really wtf."
Some others criticized the plan for the remake. "Finally! A remake of a movie that no one was asking for," one said. Another demanded, "Stop. Just stop it right now. Pull the plug. Do not reboot this." One other added, "Calm down, I was already not going to watch it."
